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A new publication titled Open: A Journal of Art & Literature is now open and ready for submissions. My job will be as a contributing editor for flash fiction. With this new journal there's a whole team of dedicated people ready to make it a unique success. The journal accepts flash fiction (1,000 words or fewer), short stories, haibun, poetry, and art. Do consider sending something. (They also plan to nominate for various literary awards.) Here's the link to their Submittable page: https://ojalartsjournal.submittable.com/submit

Yes, as of today they began the reading fee. I think Submittable allows 100 submissions to be fee-less and then once that's exceeded they begin charging the journal. So the site has already exceeded their 100 fee-less quota. I think that for the $3 fee, they'll consider as many as five poems (but see site to be sure on that). Each selection gets paired with art work too (and they'll be nominating for various literary awards as well). Oh, and right now haibun submissions require no reading fee so if you write haibun, do submit soon.

Yes, as of today they began the reading fee. I think Submittable allows 100 submissions to be fee-less and then once that's exceeded they begin charging the journal. So the site has already exceeded their 100 fee-less quota. I think that for the $3 fee, they'll consider as many as five poems (but see site to be sure on that). Each selection gets paired with art work too (and they'll be nominating for various literary awards as well). Oh, and right now haibun submissions require no reading fee so if you write haibun, do submit soon.

Whenever there is a fee, for a publication unknown to me, I want to know how many readers it has. Writers are desperate to be published, and I fear they are duped. Much money can be made, in small increments. Yep, I'm from Detroit, where panhandling for change works for those I've seen dropped off, on corners, by nice cars.

Pamelyn, I've seen you, in other groups, where you were a good contributor, so am not questioning you, as much as warning about others. How does one sort them out? My rule is if there's a fee, I don't submit. The exception is if it is a University Press. I know who THEY are. Otherwise, I just see a cup stuck out.

Postscript: The submissions page says only 1% of unsolicited entries are published. Hmmm.

You're wise to beware, sas. (I'm a Dee-troiter too-- or used to be.) I happen to have worked with one of the main editors for this publication before (online) and have known his outstanding work for several years. I'm now getting to know the other staffers who are equally determined and dedicated to doing something outstanding with this new publication. So I have no worries on that account or I wouldn't have agreed to be a contributing editor. They're a serious group, and seriously want the best work they can get. As you see, they tell up front up front that they have to charge a reading fee and that they accept only 1% of unsolicited work. The competition will be keen, that's for sure (they have some amazing and well-known writers lined up already). I'd trust them (and do) as much as I'd trust a university press. But always trust *yourself* and your own feeling on whether or not to join in and submit something. It's not going to be an easy publishing credit, to be sure. I think they tell us that quite clearly.

At present, Open: Journal of Arts & Letters offers no payment to contributors.

What's the estimated circulation? Why not a proprietary website? If one clicks on the banner, it's a vacant domain. Hosting doesn't cost much at all.
The 1% of submitted work claim means nothing with a brand-new publication. No history to back up the claim.
Why such a stringent set of ms guidelines?
Sorry, red flags everywhere. This wiki entry makes me question the software environment. Sounds like a vanity operation produced on a shoestring. No thank you.

If something raises red flags for you, it's best to ignore it, Moderan. That's what I do, anyway. No one is required to submit work to this new journal. We can all make our free choices to either send some work or not send some work. They'll be doing their premiere issue later this month and perhaps then you'll view them differently. And if you don't change your mind on them, then that's fine too. All you need to do is continue to send your work elsewhere.

Okay, I tell you what. It looks like I made a mistake telling this group about this publishing opportunity. The arrangement this journal has is pretty common to other journals lately and most use Submittable's services (which are not free but they're needed because journals receive an incredible number of submissions now). This journal also, if you'll look over their submission guidelines, has times set aside when there are no reading fees. Right now haibun writers aren't required to pay a reading fee. This will also happen with other categories/ genres where writers of that type of writing will not have to pay a reading fee. Another option would be then to wait until the reading fee is waived for the genre you write in. So I'll delete this post (if I can) and do not worry-- I'll not post about it here again because it seems to have far caused too much concern. I thought it was a simple matter-- send work or don't send work. But we live and we learn (sometimes).